Stormy Weather
by Arcole
Summary: The group must weather a very strange storm from without and conflict from within. This is my Season 2, Episode 5.
1. Chapter 1

Stormy Weather

Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Earth 2. I'm just getting some kicks.**

"Where does a 300 pound ZED sleep?" Morgan Martin asked himself for the hundredth time in the past 24 hours. "Wherever it wants to."

He walked down the hallway toward the ops center of the settlement building, wondering for the hundredth time when somebody was going to have the guts to speak up about that 300 pound gorilla taking up space in the outbuilding outside.

Since Danziger nearly fried Bess's brain the day before deactivating the thing, with of course the help of yours truly—did anybody bother to say thank you? No, of course not—everyone's attention had been focused more closely on the med lab.

Walman was officially up and walking this morning, but not moving very fast at all. Julia had sent him back to his room for more rest. He'd be out of action for at least another three to four days before she decided he was completely healed of the broken ribs and pelvis that had been shattered when the aforementioned ZED threw him against a boulder.

Alonzo was asleep now—lightly comatose, according to Julia—but more asleep than anything else. She'd been particularly amazed by his speedy recovery from the whole ordeal. Having a good sized part of your skull smashed in should slow a person down quite a bit, Morgan agreed. Alonzo, on the other hand, seemed to be bouncing back quickly—too quickly.

In retrospect, Julia had also expressed surprise that Walman's injuries hadn't been more extensive internally given the number of broken bones he'd sustained. She'd noted to the group that something appeared to be speeding healing in both men and it appeared to be linked to activity in the biostat implants.

This news did not please Morgan a bit. First, he didn't know he even had an implant, then the planet started using it as her own private gear channel into his brain—along with Bess and Danziger—and now it appeared that it was extensive enough to broadcast his whereabouts, his emotional state, and his basic motor activities to Riley. Not to mention that the thing was now taking an interest in his continued state of good health as well.

Morgan truly wished he could take a couple of steps backward in awareness on this one. He found himself rubbing the back of his head a lot, as if to appease the bio-cybernetic network within. He had begun to live in a state of paranoia that either Riley or the planet or both were eavesdropping on his thoughts. Plus, all the planet-fueled Dreaming going on between members of the group—especially Danziger and his wife—was giving everybody the creeps.

Even Julia had seemed conflicted when she'd asked Bess to take her back onto the Dreamplane again last night for another visit with Alonzo. It was like she did and didn't want to go all at the same time. Meanwhile, Alonzo was Dreaming but not conscious—what a planet they'd chosen to be shipwrecked on! It was enough to make Morgan's head spin.

Now they had to deal with the gorilla in their midst. Morgan sighed and reached for the door of the ops room, only to have it pull away from his hand as a grumpy looking Danziger opened it.

"Sleep well?" Morgan asked, taking in the state of his red rimmed eyes and mussed hair.

Danziger just gave him a typically annoyed look—that seemed to be the only look Danziger ever felt comfortable directing at him. "I was just coming to find you, Martin," he replied. "We've got to talk about this ZED."

Morgan entered the room to see Yale, Danner, Magus, Cameron, and Baines already seated around the conference table they'd unearthed for use. He pulled up a free seat and watched with interest as Danziger rubbed one hand across his eyes then looked out across the group.

"Okay, guys, we've caught ourselves a ZED. Now what do we do with him?" Danziger began in his typical jump right into the middle of it fashion.

**Roll opening credits.**

"Bring me up to speed if you don't mind," Baines began. "I've been in the med lab with doc for most of this."

"Well, Mazatyl's on guard now and I spent most of the night on duty," Danziger began. "The ZED's out cold. Martin, whatever number you and Yale worked on him worked all right. Julia came over for a few minutes late yesterday evening and said he was in a state of deep hibernation. Apparently, he can be powered down, so to speak, and left on standby for probably two weeks before he'll have to come up for water and food."

"So what's the big rush?" Morgan interrupted. "Let big boy there have a nice long nap. We'll deal with him later."

"The problem with that," Danziger paused to run his hand through his messy blonde curls, "is that the planet wants to talk to him. And she won't take no for an answer."

Morgan nodded in understanding. If the planet was giving him hell at the moment, it was no wonder Danziger looked a bit strung out.

"So, we tie him up and give him a wakeup call," Morgan replied. "Just be sure to tie him up tight and have somebody on hand with the pistol at the back of his neck just in case."

"I don't see why we need to even go this far," Cameron spoke up. Everyone turned to listen—Cameron didn't express his opinion often, usually preferring to just go along with the group's decision. "It's a ZED. It's a killing machine. It nearly killed Walman and Alonzo. Let's just deactivate it permanently—if you know what I mean."

Baines, Danner, and Magus nodded in agreement. Danziger however held out his hands in protest. "No, guys," he began, "that is not an option. Killing him is a last resort scenario."

Baines shot Danziger a look across the table that took Morgan by complete surprise. "Since when did you turn bleeding heart on us, Danz? You didn't have any problem giving us all the standing order to take Yale out if he'd become a danger to the group," Baines declared.

"Baines, Yale is sitting right here," Danner declared furiously as Danziger returned Baines' look with an icy glare of his own.

"No, no," Yale interrupted in that melodious, soothing voice of his. Morgan wondered if he could ever master the kind of crowd control that voice commanded. "I was in the midst of a mindwash breakdown and John was correct to take precautions. In fact, if you recall, I left the group for that very reason. I did not want any of you to have to kill me to protect yourselves."

The mood at the table grew solemn rather than angry. "Sorry anyway, Yale," Baines apologized. "But you guys know what I mean. This ZED means nothing to us." He gave Danziger another cool look. "So why are you protecting him?"

When Danziger began to reply, Baines interrupted, "And don't give me any nonsense about how the planet wants to talk to him, Danz. This whole talking planet thing has me freaked completely out. It was bad enough when Solace went all Terrian on us, but now you've gone off the deep end. And none of us know where it's going to end!"

In the silence that followed this bomb drop, it was to everyone's surprise, his own included, that Morgan Martin spoke up in Danziger's defense. "Baines, I know this seems crazy to you," Morgan began quietly, "but I've been there myself. Not willingly, but there. We've all seen a lot of loopy stuff on this planet. Alonzo's dreams were just the tip of the iceberg. There's so much going on here that is beneath the surface. Give Danziger a little time to find his feet with it all. He'll seem much less insane once he's got a better handle on things."

"I am not insane," Danziger leapt to his own defense angrily. Then he took a deep breath and continued, "On the purely practical side, think of what we can learn from this ZED if we wake him up and question him. Are there any more ZEDs in the area? What does Riley know about us? Can his programming be broken, and if so, do we have a potential ally in our midst against Riley? Maybe to defend us against any other ZEDs that are sent to hunt us down."

The looks around the table grew a little more contemplative as they considered Danziger's words.

"Okay, then," Baines responded, "say we wake this guy up and he's no help at all, we can't break his programming, and he just wants to kill us. What then?"

Danziger looked at him with a cool blue stare, "Then I myself will put the pistol to his head and end both his misery and our own."

"That's all I wanted to know," Baines replied evenly.

Back in the med lab, Julia and Bess waited impatiently for Alonzo to wake up.

"How long has he been in sleep state rather than coma?" Bess asked.

"I'd say he moved out of a light coma about an hour ago," Julia answered, sounding just a bit worried. "He should be able to wake up at any time, but I've called to him repeatedly with no luck."

"Do you want me to see if I can Dream to him?" Bess suggested helpfully.

Julia thought for a minute. Bess had taken her for a Dream visit with him last night late. It had been wonderful to see him and talk to him, but she was afraid even Dreaming would tire him out. She'd wanted him to conserve his strength and fully return to her. But it had been several hours since then. Surely just a short check on him wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, see what you can do," Julia replied. She held his hand, stroking his fingers with hers, watching for any signs of movement of his eyes to show he might be Dreaming as Bess closed her eyes and tilted her head slightly in the pose she'd come to take when she Dreamed with the planet.

The Dreamplane coalesced around Bess in its typical fashion and she called to Alonzo. No answer. It wasn't like before when she felt nothing at all from him when he was so badly injured, but he still wasn't reachable on the planet's Dreamplane. She wondered if perhaps Uly could reach him like the Terrians did. That was still the part of the Dreamplane where Alonzo was strongest.

Then she had an idea. Moving a piece of her consciousness back to the med lab, she took Julia's arm and pulled her in as well. She could sense as well as hear Julia's little gasp of surprise as she found herself on the Dreamplane next to Bess.

"You could have warned me," Julia began a little anxiously. "Is he here?"

"I tried calling him, but no luck," Bess said. "I thought maybe you should give it a shot." Bess gave Julia a sly little glance.

Julia gave her a questioning look back, then called out. "Alonzo!" Immediately the air began to waver around them as Alonzo appeared on the Dreamscape next to them.

"Thought so," Bess said to herself. "Selective hearing."

"Hey!" Alonzo sounded much stronger this morning. "What's going on?" he asked with interest as he gave Julia a big hug.

"You've been properly asleep, not comatose, for the past hour," Julia answered, attempting to sound like a doctor and not like a worried girlfriend. "We were just wondering if you were ready to join the land of the living again."

Alonzo thought for a moment and looked off into the distance. "I've been Dreaming with Uly and a group of Terrians," he began distantly. "They've been trying to tell us something, but I can't quite understand what they're talking about. It has something to do with the earth and rain, but that's about as far as we get before their images quit making sense."

"I wondered if Uly could get through to you when I couldn't," Bess stated.

"It's still much easier for me to Dream with the Terrians. Lots of practice I guess," Alonzo gave her a merry smile.

"Well, I won't worry about you then—or Uly," Julia said with a smile of her own. She then reached up one hand to touch his cheek in a very tender gesture. It was so easy to be demonstrative on the Dreamplane, she realized. Things just sort of flowed more freely there. "You come back to us when you're ready for a break."

"I won't be much longer," Alonzo answered, taking her hand and planting a kiss on her palm."I'm ready to see you again with my waking eyes as well."

The pair slowly pulled apart, Alonzo drifting away from them into the white glare of the Dreamscape, then Bess drawing the two women back into their awareness in the med lab. Julia still held Alonzo's hand in hers, but the memory of his kiss stayed with her. She'd never felt as though she were a fanciful person, but she began to see how Dreams could easily eclipse reality if one wasn't careful on this planet.

The door of the med lab opened, revealing Morgan, Danziger, and Yale. "How is Alonzo today?" Yale asked with deep interest.

"He's sleeping, really sleeping," Julia answered with relief and just a hint of embarrassment as if she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't.

"We checked in on him on the Dreamplane and he said he and Uly have been Dreaming with some Terrians who are trying to tell us something," Bess added. "Something about the earth and rain, but that's all they get before it breaks down on them."

"Uly is supposed to be in an educational program with True in the vid room," Yale began censoriously.

Danziger placed one hand on the tutor's arm lightly restraining him from heading out to confront the boy. "Go easy, Yale," Danziger began. "If the Terrians have called him to talk, he probably needs to listen. But if True is in the way, put her to work, okay? Better yet, take them both to Cameron. Let him put True to work and keep an eye on Uly. Morgan needs your help."

Yale nodded wisely and left to find his pupils as Bess gave Morgan a long look. "What are you and Yale up to?" she asked her husband, already suspicious of the answer.

"Danziger wants us to work on reprogramming the ZED," he answered grimly.

"How are you going to link into him?" Bess asked. "I don't think you want to risk using the satellite link through Riley."

"I'm going to do it," Danziger said. "I'll be the link through the planet and bring Yale and Morgan in to work with her. When they're ready, I'll physically link them to the ZED."

"That is too dangerous," Bess replied. "You saw what happened to us last time."

"We don't have much choice," Danziger answered.

"We need to ask Mom," Bess stated. As Morgan watched, the two of them slipped into a Dreaming state—he could tell by the way their eyes sort of half shut, then glazed over. They were talking on the Dreamplane in private.

At first he fought the inclination, then decided to go ahead and eavesdrop. He closed his eyes and sought to re-enter the now familiar state.

Bess and John stood there in conversation, the sunstone—the planet's avatar on the Dreamplane—glimmering in Bess's outstretched hand, John's covering it. Since when had his wife become high priestess of G889? Morgan couldn't help but wonder. Perhaps he also said it aloud—or at least Dreamed it too clearly because the two of them turned toward his presence.

"Come on over, Martin," John called to him resignedly. "This concerns you too."

Hesitantly, Morgan crossed over through the bright white scape of the Dreamplane. "Mom wants to speak with you directly," Bess said, motioning for him to touch the stone as well. When he paused nervously before actually making contact, Bess took his hand and placed it on the warm stone for him.

It was the first time he had actually physically touched the stone that way. Before he'd always had either Bess or John to link him in. He jumped a little as he felt the planet's intimate touch on his mind, rifling his thoughts and memories, but lightly, just a getting-to-know-you kind of touch.

He felt her approval of his recent choices to defend John and the contact he and Bess had established. He felt that he'd earned a piece of her respect and found that he began to respect himself just a bit more.

She could not reach Yale well enough to Dream with him without Morgan's assistance, he realized as the planet began to speak to him. But Morgan was also needed to help with the ZED's programming. With Morgan linking to Yale and helping him rewrite the ZED's subroutines, someone else would have to serve as the main link from the planet to them and to the ZED. The planet wanted Bess because she'd done it before.

"No," Morgan said aloud. "It's too dangerous." He didn't want to actually fight with the planet, but for Bess, he was willing to take on anything. He felt the planet's amused response—he was surprised that the depth of feeling he expressed for his wife was a source of entertainment for her.

She responded that her Terrian children had long ago eschewed the world of emotions in favor of a more detached contemplation of their existence. She had little contact with the Grendlers--their makeup did not lend them to much Dreaming, even though she sometimes sought them out for the change of pace their emotional existences brought her.

Humans, however, Dreamed in the equivalent of emotional technicolor. Now that she was finally able to reach them on her own—Morgan felt a warm wash of gratitude flow into him for his part in creating the link—she was intensely interested in them and enjoying the contact she'd finally been able to experience first hand rather than through her Terrian children as intermediaries.

"Wow," was Morgan's only response. He'd had no idea that trying to break that geolock with the help of the sunstones was going to result in a complete re-evaluation of the human species by a sentient planet.

"So, what do you want me to do?" John broke into their conversation.

"The Dreamer Alonzo and the child Uly have been speaking with my Terrian children concerning a coming event," the planet began. She queried each of them with an image of black clouds, rain, wind, and fury.

Finally, Bess spoke up and gave the image a name for her. "A storm?" she suggested.

"Yes, a storm. The Terrians will go into their homes for the duration and will not come to the surface until it has passed. You should all do the same," the planet instructed.

"Water doesn't bother us the way it bothers your Terrians," John replied. "We've been through rain storms before."

Bess looked at him intently. "John, you've never seen a real planetary storm. Trust me. I think we'd better do what Mom says and find some shelter."

"Hey, what about my opinion?" Morgan asked. "Mom invited me into this little powwow too."

"Okay, Morgan," John replied patiently. "What do you think?"

"I agree with--" he paused a moment. "What are our options again?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Julia waited as patiently as she could for the three Dreamers to come out of it. When Alonzo slipped off into Dreaming, everyone just took it as a usual occurrence. But to have both Danziger and Bess slip off into alternate reality followed by Morgan of all people was seriously disturbing to her vision of how the world worked. She was just grateful that none of the other crew were present to watch.

The others were growing more distrustful of this new Dreamplane by the minute. She'd overheard a heated debate the night before between Mazatyl, Cameron, Magus, and Baines just outside the med lab door.

"Danziger is not himself anymore," Baines was saying. "They've all been under the influence of some alien life—Danz twice. That whole flower business was just freaky and you don't know the bad vibes I got with that frozen Terrian in the camp. Not even Morgan seems like the same guy anymore."

"But look at how they knocked out that ZED," Mazatyl replied. "I guarded that thing all evening and he never so much as twitched. It doesn't seem to me like being linked to the planet is doing us any harm."

"Maybe not now," Magus answered suspiciously. "But how do we know it's going to stay that way? Watching them all tune out last night was freaky—they've all got some strange contact with each other and an alien life form. Who knows how that life form is changing them?"

"Alonzo hasn't been changed by Dreaming with the Terrians," Mazatyl interjected.

Baines and Magus actually laughed out loud. "You never even knew Solace before we hit the ground on this ball of dirt," Baines answered. "He was a totally different person on board—this place has turned him completely upside down."

"But I won't say that it's all been bad," Magus added, a little more seriously. "Flyboy had to stop for a while and see what living is really like. I think it's made him a better person. But I don't know how much of that is due to circumstance and how much is due to this whole Terrian business."

"And how much is due to Julia," Cameron added. "He's pretty serious about her."

Julia realized at that moment she had truly been eavesdropping and moved away from the door.

Now, watching Alonzo sleep she considered what they'd said. How much had she changed Alonzo? How much had he changed her?

As if in answer to her questions, Alonzo's eyes opened and he looked at her. "Julia," he managed, but his voice was hoarse.

"Hey, there," she replied softly. "Welcome back."

Alonzo looked at Morgan, Bess, and Danziger as they stood there, eyes closed in deep Dreaming conversation with each other. "They're Dreaming," she explained.

"What about?" he asked.

"I have no idea," she answered.

"I'll drop in on them and see," Alonzo began, but she put her hand on his arm.

"Please don't," Julia found herself saying. "Stay here with me."

Maybe he heard something in her voice that made him pause, but Alonzo looked at her intently before saying, "I'll stay with you, Julia."

She reached out to place one hand on his cheek, just as she'd done in the Dreamplane and was surprised to feel how easy it was to be demonstrative in the waking world as well. He took her hand and kissed the palm.

Just then, the three others began talking around them as their Dreaming conversation moved back to the med lab.

"So what do we do?" Morgan was asking. "Do we wake the ZED or move the camp or both or neither?"

"First of all," Danziger replied, then broke off as he noticed that Alonzo's eyes were open at last. "Hey, look who's back with us."

Bess moved to Alonzo's other side, kissing his cheek in relief. "It is so good to see you awake!" she exclaimed. "I have never been so afraid for anybody in my life."

"You know, Alonzo needs to have a say in what we do with that ZED—Walman too. I mean they were the ones that nearly got killed out there," Morgan offered.

"Everybody gets a say in what we're doing—the kids too right now because Uly has been in touch with the Terrians just like Lonz here," Danziger decided. He walked over to the settlement's intercom system and announced a group meeting in the med lab in fifteen minutes. Baines would stay out with the ZED on guard, but would participate over gear.

As Walman entered, supported by Magus at his side, Julia took advantage of his entrance to give him a quick once-over with her diaglove. "I'm good, doc," Walman responded, but was a little miffed to see that Julia also exchanged a glance with Magus as backup confirmation.

Soon everyone had settled into place, the children particularly excited, yet on their best behavior. "I can't believe we actually get to sit in," True exclaimed quietly to Uly. "We never get to sit in on these meetings."

"It's because I've been talking to the Terrians," Uly said with a slightly superior air, but before True could counter with a smart remark, the two were shushed by Yale.

"All right, everybody," Danziger called for attention in his own commanding way. "In addition to everything else we've got going on at the moment, we've got two issues facing us. The first is what to do with this ZED. I've spoken with just about everybody one on one already and Morgan, Yale, and Bess are prepared to try to break its programming to find out if there are any more out there, where they are, and what Riley might know about us. Then they're going to try to reprogram the ZED so he is no longer a threat." He gave everyone a penetrating look at that point that meant take it up with me later if you have a problem with this. No one responded.

"On the other hand, Uly and Alonzo have been talking with the Terrians about a storm that's approaching us. We've been warned pretty strongly to seek shelter," Danziger continued. Uly looked a bit surprised that Danziger knew so much already.

"We can ask the Terrians if there are any caves nearby or we can ride it out here," Danziger offered.

"Let me see if I can find out any information using the dish," Danner suggested. "It's set up for only basic weather prediction and that's not really my specialty, but I might be able to give us an idea of its size and strength."

"That's worth a shot," Danziger replied. "Take your gear and see what you can find out for us."

As Danner left for the ops center, Mazatyl spoke up. "We weathered several blizzards in the geodome. Surely we can stand a little rain here in this settlement."

"I for one don't feel good about hauling Walman or Alonzo either one too far from medical support,"Julia added. "They're doing very well, but not so well I'd want to risk either one's recovery on a camping trip."

"But, guys," Bess interrupted. Only the slightest pause between her initial call and her continuation let on to the fact that Danziger had shot her a tight Dream warning. "I don't think any of you have ever experienced a really severe planetside storm before. On earth we had severe storms that lasted for hours at a time with very damaging winds and lightning. Granted, all we've seen here is rain and snow, but that's no guarantee that whatever's coming won't be much worse."

There was a brief flurry of conversation around the room as everyone began to discuss their varying viewpoints.

Bess took advantage of the open discussion to send a Dream message to John. "Why did you tell me not to mention Mom?" she asked. "It's Mom's warning that has me so concerned."

"I know, but right now I don't think the rest of the group is too thrilled with our contact with her," John replied. "Let's just keep it quiet for a bit. It's enough that Uly and Alonzo have been warned. That they'll listen to."

After a few moments of free discussion, Danziger asked for opinions.

"What does it matter anyway?" Baines was heard asking on the gear monitor. "Danz is just going to pull an Adair and make an executive decision."

"Devon Adair never disregarded our opinions," Danziger spoke up in her defense. "Sometimes being the leader required her to make a hard call, but never without considering all the options we brought to the table. I cannot wait for the day that we've figured out how to get her well and back in charge again."

He glanced back around the group and paused a moment to look Baines right in the eye over the gear POV he was watching. "So, what do you guys think?"

After a short pause, Cameron was the first to speak. "I think that the group that built this settlement knew more about the weather conditions they could expect here than we do. I think they built it to stand up to whatever came their way."

"Mazatyl's the architect," Walman added then turned to Mazatyl. "What do you think?"

"The core of the settlement could probably withstand winds of 200 miles per hour, just based on rough equivalents to the kinds of construction I've worked with before. The outbuildings aren't built to the same specs. I'd say move everyone to the core complex if it gets really rough," Mazatyl replied in the quiet unassuming way he had.

"Two hundred miles an hour?" Morgan moaned. "I didn't think wind could get that fast."

"Somebody needs to go out after our perimeter alerts," Baines said protectively.

"I'll go," Magus volunteered. "I remember where we set them."

"Cameron, do you mind going out to give her a hand with that?" Danziger asked. When Cameron agreed, he continued, "So is everyone agreed to stay put in the central complex here and ride this thing out?"

Bess alone looked concerned, but didn't protest. "In that case, Magus and Cameron, will take the rail and make their best time getting those alerts in," Danziger ordered. Then he called Danner up on gear and asked, "Danner, have you found out anything on the dish about what might be headed our way?"

Danner's voice called back a negative. "I don't see anything at all within two hundred klicks of our position. Maybe a little light cloudcover. It's a shame there isn't better weather prediction data available. If I could access Riley's satellite link, I might get more," she ventured hopefully.

"No chance of that Danner," Danziger responded. "I don't think any of us are in the mood to try to get anything out of Riley or fight him off for that matter."

"What about the ZED?" Bess asked. "Where are we going to put him?"

"Why move him?" Magus responded. "He can hang out where he is."

"But the outbuildings aren't as safe," Bess replied. "He needs to come in with the rest of us."

"This thing isn't a he. It's a killing machine. I'd just as soon we put a bullet into its brain as it is," Walman interjected, the heat of his response tiring him visibly. Julia and Magus both went to his side as Danziger tried to defuse that situation.

"The ZED stays put for now," he said in a tone that allowed no argument. "Magus, you and Cameron," he began, then changed his mind seeing the concern on Magus's face for Walman. "I'll go out with Cameron after the alerts. We'll get on gear with Mazatyl or Bess if we have trouble finding them."

"I'll go with Cameron," Mazatyl began, but Danziger cut him off.

"You give this structure a good once over to be sure we're not sitting under a weak spot," Danziger stated firmly. "If we need you, we'll let you know."

A few minutes later, Danziger and Cameron pulled out of the settlement, following the gear coordinates left the day before by the ZED hunting party. It was unexpectedly humid and warm and though the sky was mostly clear, they could see a band of clouds building in the west. Their months on the planet had given them a brief weather education, and they both agreed that it did look like rain.

The drive was quiet, neither man being much for conversation, the only comments revolving around distances to the first alert sensor. They arrived on the spot where only the day before they'd nearly lost two of their team to the ZED that attacked them. It gave Danziger a chill to stand there in the spot he'd seen only through jumpers over gear POV. He wondered if the dark spot on the earth at his feet was Alonzo's blood.

They collected the alert, and as Cameron loaded it into place, Danziger walked to the spot where the group had constructed their deadfall trap. It was cunningly made indeed, he realized as he nearly walked over the tripline himself. He warned Cameron to stay back, then tripped the wire with a very long treebranch.

An avalanche of large rocks and logs rolled down the bluff into a large pile. Cameron whistled in appreciation, then added, "Walman said that was all Bess's idea."

"Remind me not to make Bess mad," Danziger responded wryly. In the back of his mind, John felt Bess's soft inquiry. He reassured her that they were only admiring her handiwork at the deadfall.

"Okay, but we're going to begin work with the ZED's programming," she replied, strengthening the contact.

He didn't want to get into a deep Dreaming contact with her in front of Cameron, so he just agreed quietly and moved away from the Dreamplane as fully as he could. He'd have to apologize later for cutting her off.

They traveled to the next alert sensor, quickly deactivating it and loading it into place. "Two more," Cameron noted as they looked out into the distance at the approaching cloudcover.

The sky was really beginning to turn darker out there, Danziger realized. Perhaps this was going to be more of a blow than anyone appreciated. Just as the thought crossed his mind, Danner called to them on gear.

"Danziger, I've been watching this whole storm front and it seems to be building up rapidly," she said. "I'm starting to get wind and rain data that is way more intense than I expected to see. You guys should come straight back in."

"You got no argument from me," Danziger responded. "We'll grab this next alert since we're out this far already. Baines will just have to hope the last one can weather the storm on its own."

"I'm not sure I'd even do that," Danner said, nervousness becoming even more apparent in her voice. "There's some kind of disturbance out ahead of this thing that is really strange looking. I can't get good data on it, but I'd say it's moving at nearly 100 klicks an hour on its own."

Cameron grabbed his arm and pointed. "Is that what she means?" he asked breathlessly.

Just then Bess was in his head. "John, get out of there now. Mom is furious that you didn't listen to her. Get back here immediately," she yelled at him over the Dreamplane.

One look at the towering swirl of blackness that rapidly approached them made him agree wholeheartedly. Baines would just have to get over losing his two perimeter alerts.

He turned the dunerail and floored it, all the while yelling commands both over gear and over the Dreamplane. "Get everybody in the central core—ZED included. Somebody find a covered spot for the rover and ATV, then get inside. Whatever this thing is it's a monster!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Yale rushed Uly and True ahead of him into the ops center of the settlement since Mazatyl's preliminary survey had revealed it and the med lab to be the strongest portions of the building. The kids just found it to be a big adventure as they helped drag in several mattresses to lounge on for the duration and a store of food and water.

"This seems like overkill to me," Walman said as he seated himself carefully on one of the mattresses. "We've seen rain before. I don't get the big fuss."

"Walman, the warning we've gotten on this says it's more than rain," Bess stated as she carried in a couple of water jugs. "It's better to be prepared for the worst."

"Just what have the Terrians told you, Uly?" Walman asked.

"They say that there's a big thing coming and that they go underground to wait it out," the boy replied absently.

"How in the world have we interpreted that as a big storm coming?" Magus asked as she entered the room with a pile of bedding.

"I think the planet told them," Uly replied.

Yale ignored the sharp looks that passed between several crew members at this and concentrated on helping Magus distribute the bedding between the mattresses.

"Yale," Bess called to him, "Morgan is wondering if you can come help him and Baines get the ZED settled in the med lab."

"Certainly," he replied, grateful to see that she was wearing gear and had not apparently Dreamed to her husband. Even though he too had been part of the link that had disabled the ZED, the sudden increase in reliance on the Dreamplane had caused him a bit of concern as well. It had been somewhat surreal to watch them speak without speaking the night before.

He entered the med lab to see Morgan and Baines with the large ZED on a gurney. "Julia wants us to get him restrained on a bed," Baines explained.

"Wish I could help you guys," called Alonzo from his spot across the room. In amusement, he watched the three of them wrestle with the dead weight of the huge ZED. "I have to stay put for a while longer. Doctor's orders."

Julia gave him a sharp look, but he just grinned and shrugged in amusement. "Have you heard anything more from the Terrians?" Bess asked as she approached his bedside. "Mom was really angry that John and Cameron had gone out. She said this storm was not one for us to be out in."

"That's about all that the Terrians can give me," Alonzo replied. "They've gone underground somewhere around here. I think this is the same tribe that live here when the first settlers were here. They've been very friendly and I think glad to see humans again."

"That's good to know," Morgan commented as he sagged against the wall next to the now safely bedded ZED. "So much of our welcoming committee on this planet has been less than friendly." He gave the ZED a pat on the chest as he added, "Isn't that right, big fella?"

"When are we going to start work on this project?" Yale asked, sounding a little less cavalier in his reference to the ZED than Morgan.

"I guess once Danziger and Cameron get back," Bess replied. "After everyone's settled in for the storm, we won't have anything better to do."

"Hey, wait a minute," Baines interjected. "I don't know if anyone wants this ZED messed with while he's in the building with the rest of us. What if he broke loose?"

Morgan held up a sedi-derm. "That's what this is for. Danziger's going to be right here with this pressed to the chink in his armor the entire time we work. At the first sign that things aren't going well, big boy here takes a nice long nap."

"I'm still not sure about all this," Baines responded.

"Neither am I," Julia added. "We've seen what these things can do. I don't much like the idea of having this one up and operational again."

"Alonzo?" Baines called across the room. "You've got a bigger stake in this decision than anybody. What do you think?"

Alonzo paused for a moment. "I trust John. If he's holding the sedi-derm and watching the show, I'm willing to let these guys go ahead and see what they can do. That ZED could give us all kinds of information, lead us to hidden supply stashes, possibly even defend us against other ZEDs. On the other hand, it could just want to kill us all." He looked directly at each of them before continuing, "Danziger's not going to let that happen."

A chirp from Bess's gear sounded in the room and Yale heard her answer then rush out of the room calling to Danner. The three men followed her into the ops center. "Danner, Cameron's trying to get through on gear, but I can't hear him. What are you picking up?" she asked.

"I'm not getting anything from them," Danner replied from her seat at the communications center. She reached up to her own gear, then jerked it off her head as feedback squealed through the headphones. "Something's interfering with the signal," she said, then turned to recheck the reports she'd been getting from the coming storm.

Then Danner gave them all a very concerned look as she added, "I hope they aren't too much further out because that disturbance is moving fast."

Outside in the storm, Danziger struggled to get the dunerail under control, wrestling with the steering wheel with all his strength, trying to keep it on course toward the settlement.

"That thing is nearly on us," Cameron called as he looked back over his shoulder. "I can't raise anybody on gear. Something is causing the signal to break up."

The clouds behind them were more than threatening. They were being pursued by a black monster of winds and lightning, a giant vortex that pulled at them with increasing pressure. Worse, the air was getting heavy, tearing at their lungs, making breathing difficult.

"I think there's something toxic in that cloud, acid maybe," Danziger shouted back over the noise of the wind. He pushed the dunerail to the limit, knowing that its speed was their only chance to make it back to the settlement.

They were out in the open now, racing for the compound across the grass. Unfortunately, the grass hid hazards in the terrain and Danziger didn't see the rock outcropping until they were already on it. With a loud pop, the front tire of the rail blew out against the obstacle, sending them into a sideways slide.

Danziger tried to get the rail to run on three tires, but it was no use, there wasn't enough traction against the winds. "Run for it!" he called to Cameron and the two men took off on foot in a deadly race.

He could see the settlement ahead of them, a blue sky behind it. Meanwhile, the dark shadow of the storm encroached on their footsteps. The had to fight for every step they took as the winds pulled at them, drawing them back into that swirling vortex behind them. The grass whipped around their knees and grabbed at their feet as they tried to run.

Just as suddenly, the winds shifted direction and began to blow against their backs, pushing at them. At first Danziger thought this was a lucky break. Instead of working against the wind, they were now being driven by it.

However, within seconds he realized that the wind shift was going to kill them. Instead of pulling fresher air into their faces, the wind was now driving the toxic gases ahead of the storm. The air began to burn his eyes and deep into his lungs. Even his skin began to feel as though it had been sandblasted.

"Call back to camp," he yelled to Cameron as loudly as he could over the high winds and the growing pain in his chest. As much as he hated gear, he wished that moment that he had a way to say goodbye to True.

Cameron stumbled along in the grass, trying to get through on his gear, but soon collapsed to the ground, his chest heaving. Danziger reached his side and attempted to pull him up, but it was no use. He didn't have the strength to lift him. Cameron rolled over onto his side, blood beginning to foam from his mouth as he gasped against the gases that now rolled over them in earnest.

Back at the settlement, Bess tried again to get through to Cameron, but the interference was deafening. With a look to her husband, she said, "I'm going to try to Dream to John, Morgan. Cameron wouldn't be trying to reach us if they didn't need us." She gave a little look around at those gathered in the room, almost as if challenging them before closing her eyes.

"John!" she called from the Dreamplane and was immediately rewarded with a sense of his presence—distracted but there. "What's going on?"

"That storm is almost on us," John answered her. "We lost the rail. We're not going to make it back. The winds are awful, but it's not just the wind. I think there's something toxic in the air. It's really hard to breathe."

Bess tried to push her awareness out to John, to try to get a feeling of where he was and what he was seeing. Around him, the air swirled and she could see the grass writhing in the grip of the winds. They were so close, but the winds were right on top of them, and worse was the air. She could feel John fight for breath, could sense the agony in his lungs. "You can do it, John! Keep moving! You're almost here," she called encouragement to him.

"Bess, get everybody into the center and block off the outside air. Go on filtered air only. You can't breathe this," she felt him gasp to her. "Cameron's already out. We're not going to make it back."

Bess could feel the world around him fading as he lost consciousness. She did her best to pull him into the Dreamplane, to stay with him. "John, stay with me," she called to him and for a second he was there on the Dreamplane, alert and alive.

"Take care of True for me, Bess," he said, taking her by the shoulders and looking down at her seriously. "Tell her I love her." Then his eyes closed and she felt him begin to collapse against her. She struggled to support him in her arms as he sank to the ground of the Dreamscape.

She called to him and brushed his hair back from his eyes as she struggled to keep him with her. "Bess, you have to be True's mom now," he whispered and his eyes closed.

"No, John! Fight it! Stay with me," she cried. But it was no use. She could only watch in horror as John faded out of the Dreamscape and into the nothingness beyond.

"John!" she screamed, but got no answer. "Mom!" she called to the planet. "Help him! Do something!"

In the ops center, the group watched in fear as Bess sank to kneel on the floor, tears pouring down her face. Then she looked up to Morgan. "He's gone. I can't reach him anymore," she sobbed.

"Let's get a search team and go after them," Mazatyl began, but Bess called out a warning.

"No! The air is toxic out there. Danner, we have to put the building on filtered air only. No one goes out until this is all over," she said wearily. At the looks from the group, she added, "Danziger's orders."

The group surrounding Bess suddenly parted to reveal True's stricken face. "Where's my dad?" she asked, fear in her voice and on her face. When Bess did not answer, she got down in the floor next to Bess and asked her again. "Bess, what happened to my dad?"

Bess trembled with hurt for the little girl, for herself, and for the entire group. "Oh, True," Bess sobbed, then grabbed her in a tight embrace and wept.

Outside in the storm, the dunerail sat in the swirling winds, the grass whipping around the wheels. Not far away, Cameron and Danziger lay lifeless on the ground only a hundred yards or so from the compound.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Out in the grass just a hundred yards from the safety of the settlement, Danziger and Cameron lay motionless, the savage winds tearing at their hair and clothing. Without warning, brown leathery arms reached up from the earth beneath them and the earth parted, taking them into its dusty embrace.

"Guys!" called Alonzo from his bed in the med lab. "Come here, quick!"

The group left the ops center and gathered next door, filling the room. Bess and True hung behind, Bess clinging to the little girl for comfort rather than the other way around.

"The Terrians are coming," Alonzo exclaimed. "Help them!" He pointed across the room to where a large piece of flooring was rising up out of place. Morgan and Baines were the first across the room and helped lift the bulky piece of tile out of the way, revealing the rising form of a Terrian, a very dirty Cameron pulled close to his chest.

The Terrian quickly moved aside to admit a second one, this one supporting Danziger. Yale and Mazatyl quickly stepped up to get Danziger's lifeless form onto a nearby cot as Morgan and Baines did the same with Cameron.

"They were caught by the winds," Alonzo reported in the distant way that came with Dream interpretation. "The Terrians didn't realize they were in trouble until they left the vehicle. They hurried as fast as they could."

Julia and Baines were already scanning the two men. "Give him some oxygen," Julia shouted to Baines as she bent over Danziger's chest. "Everybody out of here—give us some room," she called and Yale realized immediately that it was True she wanted out of there in case things went badly.

He bent down to True's eye level and said, "We need to let Julia work. She'll come get us as soon as she's done."

True looked both horror struck and relieved at the statement. He managed to pull her away and back into the ops center as the rest of the group moved back as well. "Did the Terrians hurt my dad?" she asked in a whisper.

"No, child," he answered gently. "They were trying to save him."

"They scare me, Yale," she said in a shaky voice.

"They do look frightening," he agreed as he pulled her close to him, "but they mean well, True. I believe that with all my heart."

Back in the med lab, Morgan tried to pull Bess out of the room as well, but she fought free of his grip, her face white and tearstreaked. "I lost him on the Dreamplane, Morgan. He died right there in my arms," she stated, her voice cracking but firm. "I am not leaving this room while there's a chance Julia can bring him back."

Across the room, Julia found herself splitting her time between the two men, both of whom were in desperate straits. Neither was breathing on his own; both were in full cardiac arrest. Baines assisted by rigging both up with oxygen, but Julia feared that the damage to their lungs was preventing them from actually taking any in. She moved back and forth between them, attempting to restart their hearts.

The Terrians just stood there observing, their heads cocked as if listening to a voice only they could hear.

Alonzo too just listened, Dreaming with them. "They say that we haven't been here long enough to survive the winds. We should not have gone out so soon. Next year perhaps, but not so soon," he narrated.

"Whatever noxious gas was in that cloud, it's burned their lung tissue raw," Baines stated. "No amount of time on this planet would keep that from happening to human tissue."

Julia was growing desperate. "Cardiovert!" she called once again into her diaglove as she attempted to restart Cameron's heart. This time, she was rewarded with a beep signaling success. "Baines, keep a check on him," she ordered, then moved back to Danziger.

"Cardiovert!" she called, then waited for the result. Still flatlined. "Cardiovert!" she called again, with no success. Tears began to well in her eyes as she tried yet again. "Cardiovert!" Nothing. Then something, a skip, a flicker of life.

Bess dropped into the Dreamplane like a stone, calling for John with all her might. "Come back to us!" she yelled out into the mists. The Dreamscape looked stormy, just like the outside world, winds whipping around her. "John! Come back!" The bright white had turned dark gray and the grasses pulled at her and stung her legs as she searched for him. "John Danziger, get back here now! We need you! True needs you!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted him as he staggered through the stormy blast toward her. Selective hearing, she thought, merry in her relief.

"John!" She ran to him, grabbing him in a rib-crushing squeeze. "You left us—don't do that again!"

"What happened? Where am I?" he asked in confusion.

"You're back, that's where you are," she sighed in relief. "Come on," she pulled at him as she moved back toward the waking world.

"I can't," he answered, pulling away. "Not yet."

"Then I'll go tell everybody you're okay," she replied with a smile. She reached up to touch his cheek, so glad to see him. The Dreamscape winds continued to roar around her, but nothing could dampen her spirits as she slipped back into the outside world of the med lab.

"He's okay," Bess said the moment she returned. "John's okay." She looked over to where Danziger lay on the cot, his face half obscured by the oxygen mask. "How's Cameron? I can't look in on him," she said, turning her attention to Cameron.

"Bess," Morgan approached her quietly and put one hand on her arm. "Please wait."

Bess looked around the room at the solemn faces that surrounded her. Julia had tears running down her face and Baines had an empty look.

"Bess, what did you see in there?" Alonzo asked quietly.

"John's back. He's on the Dreamplane," she said, concerned by the looks everyone was giving her.

"I don't get any brain activity from John, Bess. I think he was without oxygen for too long," Julia explained.

"You can't know that for sure," Bess retorted. "I spoke to him on the Dreamplane. Alonzo, go with me. You'll see." She reached out to take Alonzo's hand and the two of them fell back onto the Dreamplane.

Again, she was buffeted by the high winds. "This is so strange. Have you ever known the Dreamscape to look like this?" she asked, turning to Alonzo, but he wasn't there. "Alonzo! Where are you?"

Her eyes raked the bleak landscape, scanning for any sign of Alonzo or John. "John!" she called. "Alonzo!" She felt completely alone. "Mom!" she called. "What's going on?" Just as she began to feel overwhelmed by the solitude, she found the warm sunstone in her hand.

"Mom, where's John? Where's Alonzo?" she asked. The sunstone gave her a reply she didn't understand. The storm was here and until it passed, all was suspended. Cameron had been returned, but John would stay where he was safe until it passed.

"Why can't John come back too?" Bess asked. The Terrians had not been able to do for John something they had been able to do for Cameron. John was already too closely tied to the planet, and until the storm passed it was more dangerous for him. But once the storm was over, he would be stronger, stronger than before and closer to the Mother. They would all become closer to her after the storm.

Bess pondered the planet's words, then asked, "Can I at least talk to him? I just want to make sure he's really okay." There was a long pause, as if the planet was making up her mind.

Then Bess felt herself pulled deeper into the Dreamplane—onto another level it seemed. This one was still and quiet. It was only in that sudden silence that she realized just how loud the winds had been before.

"John?" she called in a more hushed voice. It seemed as though her voice didn't carry at all in the brightness and softness. She looked around to see John lying in what appeared to be a field of tall grass, but there was no wind, no sun. She knelt down next to him and lightly shook his shoulder. "John? Are you awake?" she asked.

He groaned a little and looked up at her sleepily. "What is it?" he asked wearily.

"I'm just checking in on you to be sure you're okay," she answered.

"I'm fine," he murmured, then turned over on his side, his head resting on his arm.

"Are you going to be okay here for a while?" she asked him, pushing back a lock of hair so she could see his face.

"Yeah, I'm all right," he answered softly. "Just wake me up when the storm's over, okay?"

"No problem, you just rest for now," Bess responded, then she stood up to leave. "Thanks, Mom." She pushed herself back out into the med lab, aware that the trip back to herself seemed just a little longer. She opened her eyes to see Alonzo staring at her.

"I lost you back there," she said jokingly. "Have you ever seen the Dreamplane like that before?"

"Like what?" Alonzo asked seriously.

"So windy and stormy. It's like it is outside," Bess replied. "If wonder if Danner can pull up any images of what's going on out there."

Again, she realized that everyone was giving her extremely funny looks. "Cameron should be okay. Mom said she released him to us," she ventured, looking across the room to where Cameron did indeed lie, his eyes open, apparently conscious.

"Yes," Julia began, "his lungs weren't nearly as damaged as they appeared at first examination. He came around just a few minutes ago."

"Bess," Morgan's voice murmured in her ear, "can I speak to you in the hallway for a minute?"

"Sure," she answered and they walked out of the room.

"Bess, I'm a little worried about you," her husband stopped her and looked straight into her eyes. "Do you have any idea how long you were Dreaming?"

"A few minutes at the most," she replied, all innocence. "How long was it?"

"You were gone for at least an hour," he answered. "We called to you, Alonzo tried to reach you on the Dreamplane, nothing." Morgan paused and put his hands on her shoulders, fixing her with sad gaze in his dark eyes. "Bess, John is gone," he said gently. "He has no heartbeat. He is showing no sign of brain activity at all. He's dead, Bess."

"That's not possible, Morgan," she replied with all the reasonableness she could muster. "Mom said he was being kept safe until the storm passes. He is not dead. I just spoke to him."

In the med lab, no one was ready to speak the unspeakable. Baines, Julia, and Yale had all three repeated every single possible scan they could devise to see if there was any chance at all that Danziger was still somehow functioning in some kind of suspended animation. They even checked him over thoroughly for any sign of a Koba sting. Nothing.

"We buried Commander O'Neal," Alonzo spoke at last. "We'd have buried Morgan too if not for Gaal."

"Alonzo," Julia replied, "this lab has far more sophisticated diagnostics than I had that day when O'Neal was stung. You yourself said that you couldn't find Bess or John on the Dreamplane. We have to consider that perhaps Bess has gone over the edge with the stress of everything that has gone on. You saw how she fell apart when she lost touch with John before. Maybe she's just coping right now in the only way she can."

Everyone looked at each other for a few moments. They'd already passed word out to the group at large that Cameron was going to be fine, given some rest. When True had asked about her dad, Julia had put her off saying he was still unconscious but that they were watching him carefully.

Morgan and Bess re-entered the lab, Morgan giving the group a little shake of the head behind Bess's back as they entered.

"Alonzo," she began as she crossed to Danziger's bedside, "do the Terrians know how much longer the storm will last? Mom's not good with time."

"Terrians aren't too concerned about time either," Alonzo replied, "not like we are. I'll give it a try though."

He Dreamed to the Terrians who'd brought in Cameron and Danziger and who still stood guard in the far corner. After a few moments, he shook his head. "I get an image of the moons rising. But I don't know if that means it'll be over by tomorrow or next month."

"Let's hope tomorrow," Morgan commented wryly. "We'll run out of fresh air if we have to keep filtering for a month."

Bess placed her open hand on Danziger's dusty chest. "Just hang in there a while longer, John," she whispered. "My guess is that you'll be back to your old, new self come this time tomorrow." Then she turned to the rest of them. "Don't clean him up any. I think the contact with the earth right now is probably a good thing. I'm going to go have a talk with True."

"No," several voices called out in protest.

"She needs to know that her dad is going to be fine," Bess responded sternly.

After looks darted around the group, Yale spoke up. "We've told True that her father is unconscious and that Julia is keeping a close eye on him. We can keep that story up until the storm passes, I believe."

"Bess, in the meantime, why don't you and I go see if Danner can come up with some images or see the end of this thing," Morgan added.

She looked at everyone in suspicion then nodded.

After they left the room, Baines, Julia, Alonzo, and Yale all looked at each other, then down at Cameron, then Danziger.

"I don't know what to believe any more," Baines finally sighed.

"None of us do," Alonzo concluded.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

In the ops center, Morgan was careful to keep Bess from saying any more to True than had already been decided in the med lab. "After all, honey," he reminded her, "it's the truth. Her dad isn't awake and we are watching him."

Bess realized the doubts they all had and decided to cut everyone a little slack. She knew how the contact with the planet had disturbed the group. Just wait until this thing blows over and John wakes up. That will certainly blow their minds—at least Baines's mind, she thought to herself.

Danner managed to pull up some vid feed from the surveillance cameras, revealing a stormy, dark, windy landscape that looked just like the Dreamplane had looked. It was odd how the Dreamplane and the natural waking world were kin to one another. In fact, the Dreamplane looked just like the actual world but without all the human habitation.

"What are the conditions like out there?" Morgan asked curiously.

"The best I can tell is we've got at least 100 mile an hour sustained winds with gusts up to 150. You can feel it blast against the side of the building if you go into the outer rooms," Danner replied. "If you listen, you can hear it as well, even as well insulated as we are in here."

Sure enough, they could hear a dull roaring sound. It gave Bess a chill as she realized that she'd heard that sound before on the Dreamplane.

"How are the air filters holding up?" Morgan continued quietly.

"I don't see any sign of trouble," she answered to Morgan's visible relief.

Across the room, Bess saw Magus sitting next to Walman, who was stretched out asleep on one of the mattresses. When Bess approached, Magus drew a little closer to Walman for a second, then consciously relaxed. Bess knelt next to her and asked, "How's he doing?"

"He's okay, still just weak," Magus answered.

"Did he tell you anything about the ZED?" Bess asked.

"He hasn't said much," Magus responded.

Bess looked down at Walman, her brow tensing at the memory of the day before. "He was in so much pain, and I was scared to death that the ZED was going to kill him," Bess said quietly. "But he never let on. And all that time Alonzo didn't move at all. I really thought we were all going to die." She sighed, then looked back at Magus. "I'm glad he came back to you."

Magus turned to look at her, really look at her. "I never thanked you for that. I don't understand what you all did to that ZED, but I saw what he did to you. How's your arm?"

Bess flexed her wrist. "Oh, it's pretty much all healed now. Julia said it was a bad break, but decently clean. I was lucky."

"I think Terry was lucky you were out there with him," Magus responded. "I know he's grateful too, even if he doesn't say it."

"Typical man," Bess replied, rising to her feet. "Selective hearing and inability to communicate."

"I don't have an inability to communicate, do I?" Morgan asked as they walked back across the room.

"No, Morgan, honey, but you do have selective hearing, you and Alonzo and John all three," she sighed.

"The waiting is the worst part," Mazatyl sighed. "It's time for another inspection of the outer ring of the compound. Anybody want to come along?"

Morgan looked at Bess and shook his head. Magus settled closer to Walman. Mazatyl shrugged. "I'll be on gear with you the whole time, Danner," he commented as he left the room.

On the monitors, Danner noticed that a piece of flying debris had crashed into one of the houses on the outside. Morgan and Bess leaned in closer to see that it was the dunerail, blown in by the hurricane force winds.

"Danziger won't like that a bit," Morgan commented without thinking.

When Bess noticed his wince, she quietly rejoined, "No, he's going to be furious."

Danner looked up at the two of them curiously, "So is Danziger going to be okay?"

Before Morgan could answer, Bess murmured, "I believe he'll be just fine, but I am in the minority at the moment."

As they stood there, peering over Danner's shoulder at the maelstrom outside the doors, Baines entered the ops center, shaking himself as he strode over to the refreshment table where several food and drink items had been brought in.

"How's Cameron?" Danner asked quietly as he approached.

"He's hanging in there, resting now," Baines answered as he pulled up a seat to watch the storm over the monitors. "I still don't see how my scan and doc's got such different readings. When I checked him, his lungs were not functional at all—just a bloody mess in there. By the time she got to him, he was able to take in oxygen on his own."

"I know you don't want to hear this, but Mom said that the Terrians were able to do something to help him," Bess stated. "They couldn't do the same for John so she's kind of pulled him aside for safe keeping until this thing blows through. Afterward, he's going to be fine and so will we."

Baines looked at her with an even gaze. "Bess, I have been among the most freaked by all this craziness," he began. "I will be the first to admit it. Please, for my sake, give it a rest. Because I am here to tell you that if this storm goes by and John Danziger just sits up like nothing ever happened, Julia will have to sedate me for a week."

Just then, Danner's gear gave a little chirp. "Baines, Julia wants to see you in the med lab," she said.

"I'm about ready to check back in with John myself," Bess said as she stood to go with him.

When Baines gave her a sidelong glance, Morgan casually interposed himself between them as they went down the hall.

They entered the room, where Julia stood over her imaging equipment, peering intently at the image on the screen. "Baines, I want you to look at this. Tell me what you see," she began.

Baines took a look then replied, "Blood cells."

"Look again," she instructed. "Look closely."

Baines spent several moments staring at the cells on the screen, then looked up in surprise. "These are not all blood cells, are they? I see three different things here."

"I am so glad I am not imagining things," the doctor sighed. "That's exactly what I thought." She pointed at one of the cells and stated, "This is a blood cell." Pointing to another, she said, "This is one of those pollen like cells that came from the spring flower." Then with a gesture to another, she added seriously, "This is something masquerading as a blood cell. It's wearing a sort of biological cloak. I've never seen anything like it."

"Who's blood is this?" Morgan asked suspiciously.

"John's," Julia answered. "I've been looking for any sign at all that what Bess is telling us it true—that he's just going to come out of this state. Bess, I checked your blood and a sample I already had from Morgan as well. Depositing that pollen—for lack of a better word—into the gap in the earth didn't remove it all from you. Part went dormant. That might explain the connection you've been able to form with the planet."

She then turned to look at all of them. "This other cell could be the thing that we've been looking for. It could be some kind of biological weapon Bennett unleashed on this settlement in that black rain you and John kept seeing, Bess."

Alonzo carefully eased out of bed and made his way to a lab stool to take a closer look. "You're saying you've found it?"

"If I hadn't been looking so closely," she began, "if I hadn't already known how the pollen looked from studying it before-" she sighed in a combination of weariness and relief, "I'd have never seen it."

"What next?" Morgan asked curiously.

"We isolate this cloaked cell, strip off the shell and see just what is under there that could be causing our problems. If I see these same cells in Devon's blood sample, but not in Uly's, we'll know we're onto something," Julia answered.

"If this hadn't happened to John, I don't know how long it would have taken me to find it—if ever. The disguise is just nearly perfect," she added.

After so many weeks of searching, to be in sight of the answer was overwhelming. Julia looked up at Alonzo with tears welling in her eyes. "Alonzo, we could be looking at the cure for Devon. We could be able to bring her back soon," she said with a catch in her voice. "But it seems so wrong to lose John to get there."

Alonzo put his arms around her and stroked her hair. "Don't lose heart, querida. Just wait until the storm passes."

As the long day and night wore on, the storm showed no signs of abating. Everyone had long since pulled up a piece of bedding for some much needed rest. Magus lay close to Walman, one arm cast protectively over him. For once, neither of them seemed concerned that the group might see them together.

Yale had the two children cornered away from the subdued conversations of the adults, and the three slept quietly off to the side. The others each found free spaces on the mattresses with the exception of Cameron, Alonzo, and Julia who stayed in the med lab for the night where the ZED and Danziger still lay unmoving, the two Terrians still standing on the bare dirt in the corner.

Morgan woke in the night, aware that Bess was no longer curled next to him. He sat up. Something else was wrong. He glanced over at Danner's monitors to see that it was still very dark outside, but the wind was still. That was it—he couldn't hear the wind anymore. Was the storm over?

He got up in the dark, guided by the soft glow of the monitors and walked softly down the hall to the med lab. Looking through the open door, he could see Bess standing there next to Danziger's bedside. She held one of his hands in hers and with the other hand gently brushed back the dusty curls of hair that kept falling into his eyes.

He could hear her calling to him softly. "John, wake up. The storm is over now. Wake up." When she didn't get an answer, he saw her drop into the Dreamplane. As much as he wanted to know what she was doing, he knew he had to stay behind. He loved his wife, now he had to trust her. He had to let her do this—whatever it was—on her own. He'd be there to catch her on the other side.

Bess walked through the Dreamplane, glad to see that it was finally quiet again. The wind was gone and the brightness had returned. She called and called to John, but got no answer. Then she called to the planet. "Where is he?" she asked. "The storm is over."

By way of an answer, the planet pulled her deeper into that level of the Dreamplane where she'd seen John before. "John!" she called and began to search for him in the tall grass. Then she saw him, still asleep where she'd left him.

"Wake up, John," she called as she dropped to her knees beside him and shook his shoulder. "Come on, wake up! The storm's over."

He didn't answer, but did take a deep breath. "John, it's time to get up," she said again sternly, at his lack of response, she decided to try a bit of selective hearing on him."The dune rail has been smashed up against the side of a house. It'll take days to fix it." At his continued lack of response, she began to get angry—something had to get through to him.

"True's looking for you, John. Everybody thinks you're dead. True needs you to get up!" she called, continuing to shake him. He groaned a little at this and rolled over onto his back, but still didn't wake.

Then a thought sprang to mind—Sleeping Beauty. No, she couldn't. She shouldn't. Morgan would have a fit. "John, get up!" she yelled. "Mom, wake him up for me!"

Nothing. Well, it was worth a shot. Bess bent down and gave the sleeping prince a kiss. Nothing. Then she found herself looking into the blue of his eyes.

Back in the med lab, Morgan watched in horror as Bess kissed John Danziger right on the mouth. His heart dropped inside him, then he jumped in surprise as Danziger proceeded to take a gasping breath for air.

"Julia!" Bess called. "Help him!

Danziger's eyes darted about the room, panicking as he fought to breathe, fought to live. His lungs were on fire; he couldn't get his breath. A mask descended over his face and he pulled at it weakly as it smothered him. He could hear someone talking to him in a soft voice. "Come Dream with me, John," it said and he felt a cool hand on his brow, pulling him away from the pain.

His heart was still racing as he found himself sitting on the grass of the Dreamscape, leaning up against someone who held him steady, the same cool hand on his forehead pulling him back against her. "Bess, is that you?" he asked.

"It's me, John. You're okay. No pain on the Dreamplane," she murmured in a soothing voice. "Let's give them a minute to get you under control back there, okay?"

"You're supposed to be True's mom, not mine," he said, pulling at his most recent memories to make some sense of things.

She laughed and patted the earth beside them. "This is your mom," she said. "I'm just your friend."

John settled back into the comfort of her embrace, glad to have her there with him. "Thank you, Bess. Thank you for being my friend," he sighed.

Back in the med lab, Julia was glad when Danziger settled down enough for her to check him over. A major portion of her mind was in a state of complete shock to see him alive at all, leaving the doctor in her on autopilot to run diagnostics and inject him with nanites to help heal the wounds in his lungs so they didn't lose him again.

Morgan stood in the doorway, just as shocked as she was, wearing an indecipherable look as he stared at his Dreaming Bess with her hand still resting on Danziger's forehead. Alonzo had also been woken up by the commotion and sat up in the bed with a huge grin on his face.

"What do you think about all this?" Morgan asked him tentatively, barely managing to tear his eyes away from his wife.

"I had my bets on Bess and Danziger the whole time," Alonzo answered. "Even though I couldn't know for sure she was right, I somehow knew for sure she was right. This planet does something to us."

Morgan knew that. He knew it well and it scared him. He was very much afraid of what he might have lost when the planet changed Bess.

By daybreak, everyone in the compound had heard the news that Danziger was alive. True was excited to see her dad, never having known the full extent of his difficulties. She kept her distance from the Terrians, still on guard, but gladly ran to throw herself onto Danziger's chest. He pulled her close and kissed her head, glad to see his Truegirl again.

"You're healing far faster than I could hope," Julia began. "You and Cameron both. I think this is all part of a bigger picture that involves everything—the changes the planet is causing in us, the biostat chips, the disguised particle I found in your bloodstream—everything is linked." She sighed, then turned to her diagnostic equipment.

"Before you get too deep there, doc, there's something you ought to see," came Baines's voice from the doorway. "You've all got to see this—especially Cameron and Danziger."

As Danziger walked out into the hallway, supported by Yale on one side, Baines couldn't help but give him a suspicious look.

"I am not a zombie, Baines," Danziger snapped at him. "Keep this up and I'll make Bess take you onto the Dreamplane for yourself."

Baines just backed off, knowing that Danziger was not joking.

As the group reached the doorway, Mazatyl gave them all a long look before opening it. "The air is still a little strong out there, but all our sensors say it's safe," he said, then threw open the main door to reveal a changed landscape.

Instead of brownish grass, there rose before them a brillantly green field, lush and thick, dotted with tall flowers of the most incredible color and variety.

Next to him, Morgan could hear Bess gasp in amazement. Her wildflowers she'd collected to dry were nothing compared to this. The brilliantly blue sky contrasted with puffs of white cloud bright enough to be on the Dreamplane. They walked out into the brilliance of the sunlight.

Danziger took a deep breath—much to Julia's chagrin. The air indeed still held an acrid feel to it, just enough to make one cough a little. But Danziger looked as though his strength were returning. "It smells just fine out here to me," he added. "Like life."

"What did this?" Julia asked, ever the researcher. "Did the acidic gases in the storm serve as a fertilizer? A catalyst?"

"Who cares?" Alonzo replied, pulling her against him. "Just enjoy it."

"All the same, we should be careful of the flowers," Julia warned, remembering their most recent run in with spring flowers.

"Nah," Danziger waved aside her warning with one hand. "Nothing to worry about here. Mom would have told us."

"Yeah, but sometimes Mom's warnings are a little hard to figure out," Bess teased as they all walked out into the open field.

Morgan pulled her aside. He had to tell her this right now while he he had the strength to do it. "Bess, whatever is going on between you and Danziger, I know it's not you. I know the planet has done things to you," he began.

"What are you talking about?" Bess asked brightly. "Nothing's going on between me and John."

Morgan bent his head to one side to make their conversation even more private. "I saw you kiss him last night," he whispered.

"And it was like kissing my brother," she answered in a whisper of her own. "I love John, but not like that. This whole thing with Mom has made us very close, but not like am with you, Morgan honey. I'm just looking after him until Devon comes back."

He looked at her intently, then comprehension dawned over his face. "So you don't-" he began. Then Bess took her husband by the hand and pulled Morgan behind her into the open field of green, green grass and technicolor flowers and kissed him, and it was not like kissing her brother at all.

Behind them at the compound, Danziger came across the wreckage of the dunerail. The entire camp could hear him vent his fury and frustration. "How in the hell am I supposed to fix this?" he yelled. "The frame's bent nearly in half and just look at the converter panels! Baines! Walman! Get over here!"

For the crew, being in the path of John Danziger having a tantrum over his precious vehicle made his being dead for a day seem almost preferable.


End file.
